Fitchburg mother, daughter mauled by pitbull; "there was blood all over the place”

FITCHBURG 
A mother and her young daughter were seriously injured this afternoon after being attacked by a dog.

Few details were available tonight but the attack occurred about 3:30 p.m. at 191 High St.The two were taken to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester for treatment.

Police said the 32 year-old woman was bitten on her forearm, while the 3-year-old child sustained injuries to an ear.

Police said the dog, a pitbull, was euthanized. The remains will be studied to determine if it was rabid.

Officials said they are not sure if the attacks occurred in the house and they are investigating whether a young boy might have also been injured.

Tricia Park, a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service, said she was in the driveway of 191 High St. and was going to the house to deliver the mail when she saw two victims flee the house.

“The woman was really hurt and she was screaming things like, 'Hurry up, help me I'm going to die!' There was blood all over the place,” said Ms. Park, who's delivered mail to the area for about 5 years.

According to Ms. Park, the woman suffered serious facial injuries and one of her hands was severely mauled. The child, she said, was also hurt.

Ms. Park said the injured were conscious and waited on Marshall Street for an ambulance to arrive. A Lifeflight helicopter was reportedly used to transport one of the victims.

Ms. Park, who said she was shaken up by the incident, said she was later told by police that the attack occurred in a hallway in the house. She said she didn't believe the woman lived in the house.

Witnesses said police armed with pepper spray waited until animal control officers arrived to subdue the canine.

Ms. Park said the dog, in the past, has barked at her as she tried to deliver the mail. At times, he was kept in a penned area near the house.

“There were times when I would just turn away and not deliver the mail,” she said. “That's how worried I was. But I really got freaked out by this attack. ”

Police said dog was owned by a man now in prison and that it was being watched by a resident of the house.

According to police, the dog broke off its attack after being stabbed in the shoulder by a resident of the house.